In the retail environment, it is common for merchandise to be displayed on a series of adjustable shelves. Retail display shelving falls into two basic categories: (1) cases where shelves are supported by pins inserted into holes on each side of the case or (2) wall displays where a number of vertically oriented, slotted standards are attached to a wall and brackets having hooks designed to engage the slots support the shelves.
It is desirable to present the merchandise displayed on the shelves in a way that is attractive and easily visible to a potential customer. One way to increase the visibility of merchandise is to provide adequate lighting. In many retail environments, the primary source of lighting is provided by ceiling mounted fixtures. Specific products may also be highlighted or accented through the use of spot lights. When non-illuminated shelving is used, the upper shelves cast shadows that result in less than optimal lighting for the lower shelves.
There have been previous attempts to create shelving systems with integrated lighting, but those solutions present a number of shortcomings that the present invention seeks to address. Many such shelving systems essentially mounted existing light fixtures to the bottoms of already existing shelves. Such a solution presented the problem that each light fixture had a conventional plug that needed to be plugged into an outlet. For a system with fixed shelves, or shelves with a limited range of adjustment, the power cords could be relatively easily hidden. If the shelving has a broader range of adjustment, it is necessary to provide excess power cord, which is more difficult to hide.
As such, there is a need for a retail shelving system that incorporates lighting into the shelves such that the shelves may be quickly, easily, and safely reconfigured.